The Dordt Defender men's volleyball team used key mid-set runs in each frame to secure a straight-set win over Graceland Tuesday night in De Witt Gymnasium, 25-17, 25-18, 25-17. Dordt improves to 10-4 overall and 2-2 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.
Box Score (PDF)
Graceland scored the first three points of the match, capitalizing on early Dordt attack errors for a 3-0 lead. The Defenders answered steadily and pulled even at 8-8 on a
Justin Hofman ace before using a 3-0 burst—highlighted by a Hofman kill and Graceland attack error—to move in front 11-8. Dordt stretched the margin with a decisive 5-0 run to turn a 15-11 lead into a 20-15 advantage, getting kills from
Cade Schmidt and
Lance Vermeer along with a pair of Viking errors. Leading 22-16, Dordt closed the set by scoring three of the final four points, including back-to-back Schmidt kills to seal the 25-17 win.
Set two featured 10 ties and five lead changes early. With Dordt trailing 11-8, the Defenders strung together a 6-1 run to grab a 14-12 lead.
Cory Kuperus and Schmidt teamed up for a block, and Vermeer added a kill during the surge. After Graceland briefly tied the score at 14-14, Dordt responded with its most decisive stretch of the set—a 5-0 run that pushed the lead to 19-14. Vermeer accounted for three kills in the span, and the Defenders benefited from a pair of Viking attack errors. Dordt maintained control down the stretch, scoring four of the final six points, with
Travis Hoogstra finishing the 25-18 win with a kill in transition.
The Defenders set the tone early in the third with a 7-2 run to open a 7-2 lead.
Michael Gross had two kills during the stretch and Dordt capitalized on three Graceland errors. The Vikings cut the deficit to 8-7, but Dordt answered with a 4-1 spurt to build a 12-8 edge, keyed by Vermeer and
Joel Van Groningen kills. Graceland later trimmed the margin to 19-16 after scoring three straight, but Dordt closed emphatically. The Defenders scored six of the final seven points, including a 4-0 run fueled by a block from Van Groningen and
Kaiel Johnson and a Hofman service ace, to complete the 25-17 sweep.
Dordt finished the match with a .354 team attack percentage, including marks of .409 and .406 in sets two and three.
Team Stats
- Kills: Dordt 40, Graceland 27
- Attack Percentage: Dordt .354, Graceland .120
- Assists: Dordt 35, Graceland 27
- Service Aces: Dordt 7, Graceland 2
- Digs: Dordt 33, Graceland 24
- Total Blocks: Dordt 10, Graceland 4
Dordt Individual Leaders
